Popular baby names in Tennessee, 1950

The most popular baby names in Tennessee in 1950 were Linda for girls (2,042 babies) and James for boys (2,835). Social Security records list 75,901 babies born in Tennessee in 1950 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Tennessee in 1950

Names given at least 15 times in Tennessee that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Reba: 50 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Wilma: 165 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Unknown: 51 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Robbie: 32 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Frankie: 42 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Shelia: 90 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Delois: 24 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Jewell: 20 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Patsy: 229 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Tommie: 20 babies, 3.6× the national rate

Boys

Buford: 22 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Donny: 25 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Unknown: 39 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Donnie: 159 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Teddy: 49 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Billy: 470 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Junior: 23 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Ronnie: 370 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Ronny: 23 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Jackie: 147 babies, 3.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Tennessee, 1950

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	Linda	2,042	–	1
2	Mary	1,552	–	2
3	Brenda	1,337	–	14
4	Patricia	1,183	–	3
5	Barbara	904	–	4
6	Judy	814	–	25
7	Sandra	780	↑1	8
8	Carolyn	710	↓1	20
9	Shirley	680	↑1	19
10	Betty	659	↓1	26
11	Deborah	637	↑11	7
12	Nancy	544	–	6
13	Wanda	524	↓2	52
14	Janice	523	↑1	22
15	Donna	504	↓2	13
16	Martha	457	↑1	32
17	Joyce	448	↑1	27
18	Sharon	447	↓4	11
19	Margaret	426	↓3	15
20	Susan	403	–	5
21	Carol	376	–	9
22	Peggy	359	↓3	41
23	Dorothy	326	↑1	35
24	Elizabeth	303	↓1	24
25	Pamela	297	↑9	17
26	Beverly	290	↑5	31
27	Rebecca	290	↓1	36
28	Phyllis	274	↓3	53
29	Kathy	267	↑7	38
30	Glenda	260	↓3	87
31	Charlotte	255	↑6	80
32	Karen	245	↑7	12
33	Gloria	237	↓3	30
34	Janet	236	↑4	18
35	Doris	230	↑5	74
36	Patsy	229	↓8	>100
37	Sherry	225	↑5	62
38	Virginia	225	↓3	43
39	Connie	221	↓10	44
40	Helen	218	↓8	50
41	Judith	211	↓8	21
42	Frances	188	↓1	51
43	Diane	182	↑7	16
44	Alice	174	–	57
45	Jo	170	↑1	64
46	Marilyn	170	↑3	37
47	Wilma	165	↑1	>100
48	Cathy	164	new	75
49	Sarah	161	↓4	88
50	Bonnie	160	new	33

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1949	US rank
1	James	2,835	–	1
2	William	1,673	–	6
3	Robert	1,569	↑1	2
4	Larry	1,388	↑2	11
5	John	1,385	↓2	3
6	Charles	1,370	↓1	9
7	David	1,224	–	5
8	Michael	1,029	↑1	4
9	Jerry	902	↓1	24
10	Gary	859	↑1	10
11	Thomas	766	↓1	8
12	Ronald	663	–	12
13	Richard	617	–	7
14	Donald	607	–	14
15	Kenneth	541	–	15
16	Danny	490	↑5	39
17	Billy	470	–	57
18	George	459	↓2	20
19	Roger	439	↑1	27
20	Jimmy	415	↓2	55
21	Johnny	385	↓2	50
22	Terry	380	↑1	30
23	Paul	379	↑2	18
24	Ronnie	370	↓2	76
25	Bobby	369	↓1	65
26	Edward	334	–	22
27	Joe	326	–	54
28	Stephen	326	↑1	19
29	Dennis	302	↑5	17
30	Willie	300	↑1	42
31	Joseph	295	↓3	13
32	Steven	264	↑5	16
33	Roy	259	↓1	51
34	Harold	248	↓4	45
35	Carl	247	↓2	44
36	Walter	245	↑3	40
37	Phillip	199	↑1	64
38	Eddie	193	↓3	89
39	Tommy	189	↓3	94
40	Daniel	182	–	21
41	Frank	179	↑1	29
42	Samuel	179	↑1	62
43	Henry	178	↑2	47
44	Ralph	177	↑3	52
45	Raymond	173	↓4	31
46	Douglas	168	new	28
47	Wayne	168	↓3	35
48	Donnie	159	↑2	>100
49	Steve	156	↓3	83
50	Howard	153	new	63

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